Anansi
/əˈnæn.si/noun
A trickster spider figure in West African and Caribbean folklore.
Did you know?Anansi stories traveled with the transatlantic slave trade and became a powerful symbol of wit overcoming force in the African diaspora.
Etymological Timeline
Akan languages
Akan
Ananse
“Spider; the spider trickster in Akan folklore”
17th–19th Century
English
Anansi
“Anglicized form used in Caribbean and English-language retellings of Akan spider tales”
Modern English
English
Anansi
“A folkloric spider-trickster character associated especially with West African and Caribbean storytelling”
Modern English
English
Anansi stories
“Narratives centered on the clever spider figure who outwits stronger opponents”
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